Scaling For Athletes: A Re-Post

One of the things we loved about starting our own gym was introducing levels of scaling into our everyday programming.  As we envisioned it, and as we now operate, each day athletes can select from four levels: Black, Red, Grey and White, and athletes can race each other within these levels as well as push to achieve new levels.

As we program, we're envisioning a room full of athletes completing a workout that is similarly taxing to each, while accommodating a wide variety of strength, skill, fitness and familiarity with the movements prescribed for the day.  The goal is for each to complete the workout in the intended time domain with the best technique they were capable of on that day.

Sometimes it's necessary to reduce the weight or the complexity of a skill within a workout performed for time because an athlete is unable to complete the movement under stress.  Handstand walking is an example of this for me - right now I can do reasonably well at handstand walking when my heart rate is low and my arms are fresh.  Once I'm breathing hard and my arms are tired though, there's a good chance I'm going to fall on my face.  Literally.  When we scale, we factor in the aggregate complexity of the workout, taking into consideration the effect each movement has on the others.

In the above two cases, scaling is relatively straightforward.  For each movement within the workout, do you think you can complete the workout at the level you've selected with good technique within the time cap?  If not, reduce the weight or simplify the movement using the prescribed scaling options as your guide.  If yes, go for it.  If by chance you guess wrong, that's why we have time caps and coaches to tell you to take weight off

At other times, it's necessary to reduce the weight or the range of motion because the athlete is working around some form of injury.  We are firm believers that it's important to get off the couch when possible, even when a bit dinged up, but also feel strongly that it's necessary to scale movements to avoid further damage.  We always start class by asking the participants to tell the coach if they need to adjust the workout beyond what's written on the board - this is to accommodate the special circumstances that usual scaling can't address - a limitation on doing overhead movements, squatting below parallel, front racking the bar, etc.  We're always happy to give suggestions in this case, but it's pretty important that you come prepared because as coaches we don't know exactly what you're trying to avoid.

If you think the volume is too high for your current fitness level, ask how to reduce the volume.

If you can't go through a certain range of motion tell the coach and ask if it's possible to modify the movement to avoid that range (e.g. squatting above parallel).

If you can't do a movement at all, like snatching, ideally suggest another similar movement - a clean or deadlift for example - that you haven't done within the past few days that you'd like to sub.

In the above cases, the coach then has enough information to quickly give you a good suggestion.  If you simply say "what should I do today?" the coach has to start at the top of a flowchart with tons of stages:  Are you injured? (yes/no)  If not injured: why do you want to modify the workout?  If injured: Does it hurt when you do the movement?  Does it hurt after you do the movement?  Does it hurt if you reduce the weight?  Have you seen a doctor?  The list goes on and on.  For your benefit, and for the benefit of your classmates, if you think you need to make a major change to the workout, please come prepared to tell your coach exactly what you're trying to avoid, and what you think you should do instead.

Any questions about the above?  Give us a shout and let us know!

WOD for 05-03-17:

3 Rounds For Time:

400m Run

12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

12 Power Snatches @ 155/110 lbs

24 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

(Compare to 09-22-16)

-then-

Tabata:

Medicine Ball Russian Twists @ pick load

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Gym

Really digging this video that's making the rounds on the internet recently.  Do you think they do synchronized bar facing burpees on the beach?  

Sadly we missed the over/under on number of people in the gym for Monday's WOD, so rowing had to make a Tuesday appearance as well.  Enjoy (at least it's not burpees)!

WOD for 05-02-17:

Back Squat:

Six work sets of TWO reps, as follows:

2-2-2-2 Climbing to a Top Set*

*If possible, add to your top set from 04-25-17

Then, two "drop" sets:

1x2 @ 85% of your top set from today

1x2 @ 80% of your top set from today

-then-

For Time:

1000m Row

100 Double Unders

1000m Run

(Compare to 11-12-14)

Peg Board: Thank You Coach Walker & Tony!

A BIG THANK YOU to Coach Walker for his generous gift to the gym - a Rogue Fitness Peg Board!  The interwebs would have you believe that the peg board may make an appearance at Regionals later this month - which I, for one, hope is not the case.  Not that I feel it would be a big curveball for our two Regional athletes (I actually think Cassie and Sarah would be fairly competent on the device), but more so because WHO WANTS TO PAY TO WATCH PEOPLE CLIMB ON A PEG BOARD?!  Let alone run on a treadmill (I know, I know, it's not a treadmill... and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want one of those as well).     

That said, the peg board is a very cool tool which builds and tests upper body pulling strength - some of you might remember having one in your old school gymnasium/PE class (or maybe you did gymnastics as a little kid and they had one in the facility).  Much like the stall bars that are found in old gyms, most folks don't know exactly what peg boards are used for - and in the 2015 CrossFit Games World Final some would say that most of the best athletes didn't either (LOL):  

It's pretty damn cool to now have a peg board of our own in the gym and we're grateful to Walker for the generous gift. 

A big thank you also to Tony for installing the peg board for us, and for helping me QA test it to make sure that it's securely mounted:

Yeah, I think it's on there pretty good. 420-plus pounds and not even a squeak.

Happy May, everyone!

WOD for 05-01-17:

"Rob's May Day Chipper"

In Teams of TWO, Against a 20-Minute Clock For MAX REPS:

A) 2000m Row (split anyhow) 

     while completing 

     90 Handstand Push-ups (split anyhow) 

B) 70 Synchronized Bar Facing Burpees (together, obviously)

C) 50 Deadlifts @ 155/105 lbs (split anyhow) 

D) MAX REPS Hang Power Cleans @ 155/105 lbs (split anyhow) 

One partner rows while the other partner completes handstand push-ups, and partners may switch whenever they like. The bar facing burpees cannot start until both the row and HSPU are completed.  Bar facing burpees are completed together (not split) and must be synchronized on the ground, with both athletes touching their chest to the floor at the same time. The team's score is total number of hang power cleans completed.     

Sweaty Saturday Team WOD

Happy Weekend, all!

WOD for 04-29-17:

In Teams of THREE...

For Time:

800m Run

80 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs

80 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

80 Calorie Row

80 Box Jumps 

80 Thrusters

800m Run

Only one athlete working at a time. All movements, including the runs, are shared and may be split in any fashion (does NOT have to equally split).  

Arena Ready Spirit Animal?

Amy C recently came up with a cool question & idea that we wanted to float out there for all of you Arena Ready athlete members: 

If Arena Ready had a spirit animal, what animal would it be? 

Sarah says that Bo is not eligible since she is already the official Arena Ready Mascot.  And while there are so many great dogs at AR I'm not sure it necessarily would be a dog (but maybe it would be?).  I really don't know.  What do you think?! 

If the idea sticks and we have a general consensus perhaps we could even get some "Spirit Animal" t-shirts in the works, too... who knows.  Kill Cliff Laser Cats best watch out! 

WOD for 04-28-17:

"Lynne"

5 Rounds For Max Reps (Not For Time):

Bench Press @ Bodyweight

Pull-ups

Rest as needed between rounds.

(Compare to 09-30-16, 01-16-15, 04-18-14, and 02-28-13)

2017 Regionals: A Look Back at 2016

As we mentioned in last Saturday's blog post (click here) Arena Ready is ecstatic to be sending two of our athletes, Cassie and Sarah, to the CrossFit Games California Regional this year!  The action goes down over Memorial Day weekend (May 26 - 28) at the Del Mar Arena in Del Mar, CA. 

The action is going to be jam-packed with some of the fittest athletes in the world, and for a preview of what to expect you can check out this highlight reel of the 2016 California Regional:  

Since Sarah somehow managed to finish inside of the Top-10 last year but not make one single appearance in the highlight video (I think you could see her arm and her barbell at one point LOL), here's a little piece of her 2016 competition courtesy of Event 7 (the shortest, and arguably most exciting, event of the weekend):   

WOD for 04-27-17:

"The AR Midline Mile"

For Time:

800m Run

then

9-15-21-15-9 of...

Deadlifts @ 185/135 lbs

Medicine Ball Sit-ups @ 20/14 lbs

then

800m Run

Back To Basics

Lisa G. recently posted a great piece on her blog about going back to basics, and mastering them in an effort to improve (or work toward) more complex movements.  It's fittingly titled "Back To Basics" and the original post can be found here - we've pasted it below as well: 

BACK TO BASICS

The road back from my ankle injury has been incredibly humbling.  From walking down stairs to standing on my bad ankle, some of the most basic movements have been hard. Doing air squats today was a big achievement for me, especially since bending just slightly on my bad foot caused me pain as recent as last week.  Basics, as it seems, is like going back to where you grew up. It’s familiar, easy to get reacquainted with, and comfortable.  Too often these days we see some wacko things on social media.  From weighted strict muscle ups to parlor tricks using the barbell, it’s easy to get caught up in it.

MORE ISN’T BETTER

Every now and then I’m asked how I’m able to cycle through handstand push-ups so quickly.  Is it because I spend hours each day practicing them? No, not really.  It started off with getting one and then improving my efficiency. The same goes for just about anything else in CrossFit.  You can’t squat 500 lbs. without being able to do a perfect air squat.  You don’t start learning butterfly pull-ups until you can get a few strict ones. And, as I’m continuing to learn, you can’t hope for a muscle up without having strong lats.

Learning to crawl is essential before trying to run.  In today’s world of overposting, tweeting, and Insta-bragging, it’s easy to watch competitive athletes and emulate them.  Just because Rich Froning can PR his snatch with minimal amount of warm up sets doesn’t mean you should try it.  Watching your favorite gymnasty athlete do a muscle up while tossing a med ball behind their head isn’t the green light to try it during practice. Maybe trying to complete “Murph” under an hour is a better goal than throwing on the 50# weight vest and finishing it 3 hours later.

It’s taken me a long time to really understand how fundamental the basics are in CrossFit movements.  I’d be lying if I told you I practiced this from day one.  But, I’m hoping that you don’t make the same mistakes as I did.  Skipping steps does you no favors, especially as you get further along in your fitness journey. Going back to the basics is something we can all benefit from, no matter what level of fitness we are or where we are in our journey.

Thanks for sharing, Lisa - we couldn't agree more!

WOD for 04-26-17:

AMRAP 20 Minutes:

20/17 Calorie Row

15 Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

10 Hang Squat Snatches @ 115/80 lbs 

But It's Back Squat Day?

I think most of you at Arena Ready are accustomed to the way we play around with traditional WODs, or typical strength days/sessions, and turn them slightly on their side for the sake of variance and new adaptations.  Last week the grumbling on back squat day was generally centered around our insistence of running a mile prior to squatting - it was an effort to change the stimulus from what one would traditionally expect on a standard "strength" or "heavy" day.  Or, as some folks in the gym liked to put it so eloquently, another example of us "ruining a perfectly good workout with a bunch of other stuff most of us wouldn't want to do if left to our own devices."  You're welcome.  

Welp, while we're on the subject of playing with the stimulus to see how the system responds - how about performing the same little burner twice on back squat day - first with a partner for quality (AKA easy pace) and then solo for time (AKA as fast as you can).  Throw the back squats in the middle and you've got yourself a constantly varied sandwich of Tuesday fitness.     

WOD for 04-25-17:

ON A RUNNING CLOCK...

A) At 0:00

"Partner Baseline"

For Quality, Split Evenly With a Partner:

1000m Row

80 Air Squats

60 AbMat Sit-ups

40 Push-ups

20 Pull-ups

B) From 15:00 - 35:00

Back Squat:

Six work sets of TWO reps, as follows:

2-2-2-2 Climbing to a Top Set*

*Add to your top set of FOUR reps from 04-18-17

Then, two "drop" sets:

1x2 @ 85% of your top set from today

1x2 @ 80% of your top set from today

C) At 40:00

"Baseline" (Solo)

For Time:

500m Row

40 Air Squats

30 AbMat Sit-ups

20 Push-ups

10 Pull-ups

(Compare to 07-14-15, 01-08-15, 08-04-14, and 02-21-14)

CF Gymnastics Course: Thank You Coaches & Athletes!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Thanks to Coaches Hillary, Walker, and Lavinia for holding down the fort this weekend while Sarah and I attended the CrossFit Gymnastics Coaching Course.  The course consisted of two full days covering some very cool material, and we're excited to incorporate some of what we learned into our program in order enrich our current programming, scaling approach, and dedicated skill work.

The longer we do this #CoachingLife the more we appreciate being students of the game ourselves, and Sarah and I are so grateful that we have a community of athlete members and amazing coaches that push us to continue learning as much as we can to help make us all better.

Looking forward to a great week!

WOD for 04-24-17:

Push Press:

3-3-3-3-3

Climbing

-then-

For Time:

100 Double Unders

100 Russian Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs

100 Walking Lunges

(Compare to 01-19-16)

2017 California Regionals: Congratulations Cassie & Sarah!

CONGRATULATIONS to both Cassie and Sarah for qualifying for the 2017 CrossFit Games California "Super" Regional taking place May 26-28 in Del Mar, CA.  Their outstanding performances in the Open have earned them the right to compete with the fittest athletes in the region for a chance to qualify for the CrossFit Games in July.  

The Regional competition is an exciting event and anyone who has attended previously (either to cheer on Sarah, Liz, and/or Amy) in prior years is often joined by dozens of other Arena Ready folks to form what has been called "the loudest little cheering section in California."  We simply call them "The Arena Ready Mob"... affectionately so, of course. 

Since Regional events are the highest-level CrossFit competitions in the world outside of the Games themselves, the weekend is an incredible, action-packed showcase of some of the most impressive athletic performances in the fitness world.  If you're interested in attending live & in-person you can start organizing with other Arena Ready members who will be making the trip down on Memorial Day weekend to cheer on our two amazing athletes.  If you can't make it down to watch live you can stream the events instead, as the entire competition is broadcast and fully archived, allowing the world's CrossFit and fitness fanatics (and our dedicated Arena Ready supporters) to get their competitive exercise fix on.

We can't wait to watch you two CRUSH IT.  GO CASSIE & SARAH!!!

Sarah and I will be at a gymnastics coaching seminar all weekend, so enjoy this doozie of a Saturday WOD and hold down the fort for us!  Happy weekend, all!

WOD for 04-22-17:

"Partner Death by Barbell"

10 Rounds For Time, Split With a Partner:

15 Deadlifts @ 135/95 lbs

12 Hang Power Cleans

9 Front Squats

6 Push Jerks

One athlete working at a time. Partner A completes one full round, then Partner B completes one full round, etc. Each athlete completes 5 rounds for a team total of 10 rounds.

Each movement must be fully completed before starting the following movement - e.g. you must stand up the 15th deadlift to full extension at a dead stop before initiating the first hang power clean, and you must stand-up the 12th hang power clean before initiating the first front squat (a hang squat clean will not count as both movements combined), etc.

(Compare to 06-27-16 and 10-05-13)

Congratulations James!

A big congrats to James M. who starts at the Fire Academy next week, one of the final stages in his goal of becoming a firefighter.  James has been working hard at the gym over the last few years to improve his general physical preparedness, and I think we can all safely say that he's going to make a pretty damn fit, strong, and mentally tough firefighter.  If CrossFit is supposed to help prepare someone for the unknown and unknowable, this is one of the coolest applications of that claim.  

As a gym with numerous firefighters and first responders, we sincerely appreciate James' (and all of those in this group) dedication to helping our communities in the times of most urgent need.  

Congratulations, James!  We'll miss you while you're off doing your thing!

WOD for 04-21-17:

Hang (Above Knee) Power Snatch:

2-2-2-2

Climbing as Technique Allows

-then-

For Time:

600m Run

21 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

21 Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs

400m Run

15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

15 Hang Power Snatches

200m Run

9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

9 Hang Power Snatches

#OldManRant

Welp, that was a serious cranky old man rant in yesterday's post.  So for today here's a video of Red Panda freaking out at a rock:

Sorry if reading my post yesterday elicited a similar response for you.

WOD for 04-20-17:

4 Rounds For Max Reps:

Row Calories

Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

Handstand Push-ups

Single Dumbbell Goblet Walking Lunges, pick load

(Rest 1:20) 

This is 0:40 seconds of work per movement and 0:20 seconds of rest/transition time between movements.  There is 1:20 of rest between rounds.  The entire workout, including rest periods, lasts 19 minutes.  Your score is total reps across all four rounds.